Stevie RS Boy

I am looking to get a older type tranny swb, but am looking to see what the maximum i can tow with it, has anyone got any idea what weight they can tow?

DazC

iTrader: (1)

Depending on what model, anywhere from about a 3.2 tonne train weight and 5.6 tonne train weight (train weight includes it's own weight as well as what is behind it.).

The question is to general to be specific without seeing the chassis plate it's difficult to say. Once you know it's train weight then you need to know how much the van weighs to subtract the lower figure from the higher figure to give you the allowable weight you can tow.

jamie's

if you mean a smiley front, then i'm sure the swb isn't actuly very good for towing
i cant remember what the weight is, but i know when i had 1 i got old off by vosa officer for towing a trailer with it,
i only had a fiesta on the car trailer and the guy was convinsed i was over maximum weight,
i wasn't at a weigh bridge so wasn't charged,
tbh i still used it anyhow but you might want to bear that in mind
also i'm fairly sure it depends on whether your trailer is braked

london_chris

http://www.uktow.com/towing%20capaci...make=Ford#tab1

CosworthGuy

If you get a short wheelbase ex rac type with the 6 stud heavy axel and wheels then you can tow 3,5 tons same as a land rover discovery

bj928

thats the one, the ex ac and any other 150 swb are the one to go for if you want to tow, anything below a 150 of the old type van were crap, with the newer transits, from 2000 onwards (getting cheap now), just about any of the rear driver ones are ok, front drive ones are crap, they changed the numbers for the newer shape, the 150 is now called the 330, i used to have a 150 with a 24v cosworth in as a tow vehicle, and what a tool that was, had a proper ifor william recovery trailer on it, and it would tow anything up the side of a mountain.

Stevie RS Boy

what would a 120 swb be like then?

bj928

at a guess a 120 would tow about a tonne if your lucky, an escort van would more than likely tow more, they are that crap

Stevie RS Boy

ok thanx, will have to be a LWB then

bj928

make sure its got 6 stud wheels if its one of the older transits from before 2000, they did some 100 LWB vans, white arrow vans where only 100's i believe so couldn't tow bugger all, LWB you want a 150 or 190, SWB you want 150, they have a gross train of about 6 tonnes or something silly, if you go for a newer van after 2000 shape, get rear drive and you should be ok for towing, there is a cheap LPG transit on ebay at the moment that i have been watching (04 van), all the LPG transits in the new shape are rear drive and tow ok, its got a head gasket gone, but they only use the old I4 2.3 out the granada/scorpio/galaxy, so easy to get a cheap engine to replace it with, or stick any other 4 pot ford lump in it, like a cossie or something

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...=STRK:MEWAX:IT

CosworthGuy

my mates brother has the short wheel base ex rac smiley transit with a turbo diesel engine in. It pulls like you wouldn't beleive and get quite good fuel economy for what it is. Well into the 30's. Its been loaded up with a 800kg twin axle trailer with a transit on and it pulled fine and didn't look or feel overloaded

bj928

Ex RAC van would't be over loaded, thats why they use them, i'm not sure, but the 150 that the RAC use might just have better towing and carrying weight limits than the 190, the 190 LWB was a lot heavier than the SWB 150, and the 190 was so called becasue it was supposed to carry 1.9 tonnes, but they never could because they were to heavy empty, but the 150SWB was light and could genuinly carry the full 1.5 tonnes of its name, i'm sure the 190 can't even carry 1.5 tonnes without going over its gross, making the 150 the heavy weight even though it shouldn't be

CosworthGuy

i used to have a 190 luton with ally body and it weighed 2100 empty meaning it could carry 1400. I was overweight many times lol. The rac has a full 3.5 ton towing capacity though. Very good vans

Stevie RS Boy

id like a ex rac smiley van but cant seem to find any, but have been looking at the 190 lwb, anything newer is out of my price range, i found this and thought its different, but is it me or does it seem longer than a usual lwb?

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1995-Ford-Tran...item2a0be71ca7

chris m1

One here

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/2003-FORD-TRAN...item27b7a2d771

Or try here
http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&sou...vVBqqw&cad=rja

Stevie RS Boy

Thank You, but am after a smiley face one,

bj928

always wanted to do a LWB low roof, i think from the side view they look like a streched transit, but i thought they were only ever a 100, not like it lists a 190, if its been made into a 190 by changing axles, the plate may still say 100 so look before you buy is my advice there.

bj928

here is a 150 on ebay, finnishes soon though


http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/FORD-TRANSIT-1...item45f7a9c004

Stevie RS Boy

Thanx for that, looked clean, would have liked to have alook round before hand, have dicided that i will hold out for a 150 swb,

bj928

I would, they are so much more use than any of the lower ones, and smaller than the LWB 190, if you can afford it, i would go for the 2000+ shape, they are a much better van, the older vans look nicer, but they do rot, i got an EX RAC van thinking it would be good, and that wasn't any better, had to put loads of patches on it, but if you can weld you will be ok.